Hibiscus plant named ‘Starry Starry Night’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial  Hibiscus  hybrid plant named ‘Starry Starry Night’ comprising dense branching habit with dark greyed-purple, tri-foliate leaves over a large portion of the mound. The flowers are flat, upward and outward facing, with pinwheel-varying light-pink and magenta colored face, veins and speckles, and have a darker red eye.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus hybrid (L.).

Variety denomination: ‘Starry Starry Night’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy, herbaceous,hibiscus plant, Hibiscus ‘Starry Starry Night’ hybridized by theinventor on Jul. 27, 2011 at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant,originally labeled # 11-117-104, is a single seedling selection from across between Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857 (femalepod parent) times Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,079(male pollen parent). The seed was harvested on Nov. 11, 2011 thespecific seedling passed the initial trial in the summer of 2012. Bothparents have a complex mixture of species in them, most likely includingthe species: moscheutos and coccineus. Hibiscus ‘Starry Starry Night’was first asexually propagated in 2013 by both stem tip cuttings andsterile tissue culture at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. Theresultant asexually propagated plants have been found to be stable andtrue to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Hibiscus ‘Starry Starry Night’ differs from its parents as well as allother hardy herbaceous hibiscus known to the applicant in many traits.The foliage color of ‘Starry Starry Night’ is very dark greyed-purplewith generally tri-lobed foliage and occasional 5-lobed. The mostsimilar hibiscus in flower color known to the applicant is ‘SmallWonders’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,022, but the flower face of the newplant is flatter and not as cupped as ‘Small Wonders’ and the habit ofthe new plant is much larger mound. Other similar hibiscus include:‘Kopper King’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,793, ‘Summer Storm’ U.S. Plant Pat.No. 20,443, ‘Cherry Cheesecake’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,089 and ‘Turn ofthe Century’ (not patented). ‘Kopper King’ has larger flowers, flowersfor a shorter period, the petals have less veining, the foliage is notas dark, and the habit is larger and more open. ‘Summer Storm’ flowersfor a longer period, the petals have less veining, and the habit istaller. ‘Cherry Cheesecake’ has petals with more folding along veins andmore magenta tinting at petal apex rather than on the side of the petal.‘Turn of the Century’ has more finely-dissected green foliage, smallerflowers with less veining and a more columnar plant habit with lessbranching. ‘Starry Starry Night’ has more foliage showing the darkergreyed-purple coloration than all of the above cultivars and anycultivar known to the inventor.

Table 1 below shows further comparisons to similar cultivars.

TABLE 1 CULTIVAR Leaf color Flower color Habit Size (H × W) ‘Cherry darkgreen white, upright 145 cm × Cheesecake’ with purple magenta tips,mound 140 cm overtones veins, and eye ‘Mocha deep bronze- white withbroad 120 cm × Moon’ green scarlet eye mound 170 cm ‘Starry dark greyed-white and mound 120 cm × Starry Night’ purple pink 120 cm pinwheel,scarlet eye ‘Summer dark pink, rose upright 160 cm × Storm’ burgundyveining, mound 160 cm foliage magenta eye ‘Turn of the medium green pinkrose upright 120 cm × Century’ pinwheel, rose mound 110 cm eye

Hibiscus ‘Starry Starry Night’ is a unique hardy herbaceous hibiscuswith the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Hardy perennial producing herbaceous mound with dense        branching;    -   2. Primarily tri-lobed foliage with very dark greyed-purple        color over a large portion of the mound.    -   3. Many flowers up to 22 cm across over a prolonged season        having a pinwheel-color effect of lighter pink on the exposed        petal edge and becoming darker clock-wise toward the overlapped        petal edge, accented by deep pink veining and a darker red        lustrous eye.    -   4. Petals open to a flat face and recurve slightly toward apex.    -   5. Pink petal coloration toward apex in fine air-brushing-like        spots.    -   6. Flowers self-cleaning leaving behind bright green calyx        sharply contrasting with very dark foliage effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation incolor.

FIG. 1 shows a three-year old plant in the landscape in full-flower inAugust.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers with intensely-veined andpinwheel-color effect.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus ‘Starry StarryNight’, has not been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of three year-old plants in the loamy-sand, open-fieldfull-sun trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplementalfertilizer and water as needed. The plants are natural habit and werenot treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at anytime in the growth year.

-   Parentage: Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ (female seed parent) times    ‘Midnight Marvel’ (male pollen parent).-   Propagation:    -   -   Method.—Stem cuttings and sterile plant tissue culture            division.        -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.—About two weeks.        -   Rooting habit.—Normal, branching, developing thick to about            2.5 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy yellow between            RHS 161D and lighter than RHS 159D depending on soil type.        -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16            weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.            Plant vigor is very good.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant shape and habit.—Hardy herbaceous perennial with 12 to            16 thick upright and heavily branched main stems producing a            upright spreading mound about 100.0 cm tall and 147.0 cm            wide, widest about 25 cm above soil line; 20 to 25 primary            branches per main stem, lowest branches protruding at 10°            above horizontal and curve upward to nearly 50°, upper            branches straight 45° above horizontal; lowest branch about            28.0 cm long (shorter at the upper nodes) and 9.0 mm at            base, decreasing in size distally.        -   Stem.—Rounded, glabrous, glaucous; average 92.0 cm tall and            2.0 cm diameter at base.        -   Stem color.—Lower region just above soil lighter than RHS            146D with heavy to solid tinting of nearest RHS 186C with            glaucous covering and nearest RHS 185B with glaucous            covering removed; in distal region or stem nearest RHS 187B            without glaucous bloom to nearest RHS 185B with glaucous            bloom.        -   Plant size.—Unpinched plant with stems about 100 cm tall;            overall plant about 147 cm wide about 25 cm from the soil            line (widest point).        -   Internode.—About 30 nodes per stem, average internode length            about 3.3 cm of unpinched Plant.-   Foliage description: Alternate; dentate; glabrous; predominately    deeply cleft tri-lobed, rarely five-lobed; with side lobes at about    70 degree angle from center lobe; adaxial texture lustrous in distal    leaves and matte in proximal leaves; abaxial texture matte; leaf    blade size to about 19.5 cm long and about 18.0 cm across, average    about 16.0 cm long and about 14.5 cm wide, smaller in distal portion    of stem.    -   -   Foliage color.—Adaxial side of young expanding and mature            leaves between RHS 187A and RHS N186A; abaxial side of young            expanding and mature leaves nearest RHS 146B occasionally            developing tinting of nearest RHS 187A.        -   Veins.—Palmate; adaxial primary and secondary between RHS            187B and RHS 187C on expanding and mature leaves, abaxial            primary and secondary nearest RHS 183C toward leaf base and            nearest RHS 183A toward apex.        -   Petioles.—Average size 8.5 cm long and 3.5 mm wide; mostly            cylindrical with some flattening toward stem; slightly            glaucous, glabrous.        -   Petiole color.—Adaxial nearest RHS 183B; abaxial between RHS            182A and RHS 182B.-   Flower description:    -   -   Buds.—One day prior to opening about 7.0 cm long and 4.5 cm            in diameter, acute apex and bluntly rounded base, unopened            petals wrinkled at veins; ovoid with rounded apex, carinate            at the sepal fusion seams.        -   Bud color.—Exposed petal color one day prior to opening            between RHS 59D and RHS 63B toward apex and nearest RHS 62D            toward base of flower with petal veins lighter than RHS 62D            or N155D.        -   Sepals.—Five, proximal half connate forming campanulate            star-shaped calyx; acute apex; margin entire, edentate;            slightly puberulent; individually about 4.4 cm long, about            3.2 cm wide at fusion point and about 2.5 cm from fusion            point to apex; forming a broad star about 2.0 cm deep and            about 7.5 cm across.        -   Sepal color.—Adaxial between RHS 144A and RHS 146C; abaxial            between RHS 144A and RHS 146C with tinting or blushing of            nearest RHS 187B.        -   Epicalyx.—Linear, entire, puberulent, sharply acute apex and            attenuate base, curved around sepals; typically 10 to 11 per            flower; about 3.3 cm long tapering to base of about 5.0 mm            wide.        -   Epicalyx color.—Adaxial and abaxial color nearest RHS 144A            with apical tinting of between RHS 187A and RHS 187B.        -   Flowers.—Solitary, 60 to 72 per main stem without pinching            including side branches; petals flattened in face; upward            and outwardly facing; average about 23.0 cm across and about            6.0 cm deep from outside face to edge petals to center; size            larger in early part of flowering season; persist for a one            to two days; effective for at least 12 weeks beginning            mid-July and lasting into October; no detectable fragrance.        -   Petals.—Five; glabrous, slightly lustrous in center and dull            both front and back toward middle and perimeter, adnate to            the androecium to form a column, imbricate to about 95%            overlapping at widest part (petals nearly completely            overlapping the next petal to the petal in the position two            over), palmately veined, primary and secondary veins            impressed on front and ribbed on back; shape: rounded;            margins: entire, edentate; apex: rounded; base: short            claw-like; size: average about 12.0 cm long and about 15.2            cm wide at widest portion (larger in earlier part of            flowering season); center dark eye about 6.0 cm diameter.        -   Petal color.—Adaxial with lighter pink coloring on top petal            side of lighter than RHS 62D or RHS 65D and darker on            overlapped petal side and toward apex of between RHS 61C and            RHS 61B; petals flecked or speckled with spots between RHS            61C and RHS 61B of about 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm across and            smaller; adaxial center nearest RHS 60A, veins radiating            from center of nearest RHS 60A and becoming lighter toward            apex; abaxial inner claw-like base 1.5 cm nearest RHS 155D,            radiating toward apex from claw lighter than RHS 62D and            developing tinting between RHS 61B and RHS 61C toward apex;            abaxial veins nearest RHS 155D.        -   Gynoecium.—Style: enclosed in column about 6.5 cm long and            about 1.0 cm wide at base; column puberulent; style            puberulent; column color nearest RHS 158D; style protruding            from column and split in distal 8.0 mm portion into            typically five branches and protrudes from column, branch            diameter 1.5 mm; branch color nearest RHS 158D; Stigma:            typically five; globose, puberulose, about 3.5 mm in            diameter; color nearest RHS 158D; Ovary: superior, about 1.2            mm across at base and 10.0 mm tall; acute apex; color            nearest RHS 145C.        -   Androecium.—Filaments: numerous, about 150; less than 1.0 mm            in diameter and about 6.0 mm long; attached along nearly the            entire length of column; color nearest RHS 158D; Anthers:            reniform; about 2 mm long and 1 mm wide; color nearest RHS            174D; Pollen: numerous, globose, less than 0.1 mm long,            between RHS 158C and RHS 158B.        -   Pedicel.—Rounded in cross section, puberulent; length from            base of sepal to abscission point average of about 2.8 cm            long and about 4.0 mm wide, longer on early flowers            decreasing in distal flowers.        -   Pedicel color.—Nearest RHS 138B.        -   Peduncle.—Rounded, puberulent, flowers are held easily            visible on average about 6.5 cm long from abscission point            to stem and about 3.0 mm wide, longer on earlier flowers.        -   Peduncle color.—Between RHS 182A and RHS 182B.        -   Fruit.—Few, loculicidal capsule; glabrous; globose,            occasionally with abruptly acute apex; color between RHS            N199B and RHS N199C when mature.        -   Seed.—Minutely floccose, typically globose; about 3.0 mm in            diameter; color between RHS 200A and RHS N199B.-   Resistance: Hibiscus ‘Starry Starry Night’ grows best with full sun    and plenty of moisture, but can withstand some drought once    established. Pest and disease resistance beyond that of other hardy    perennial hibiscus cultivars has not been observed. Hardiness at    least from USDA zone 4 through 9.

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Starry Starry Night’ as herein illustrated and described, suitable for potted plant culture, landscaping as a specimen or en masse, and especially suited for patios and confined spaces because of the compact habit. 